The Knicks then aired a radio commercial in which they say the Nets are trying to be like the Knicks, but they'll never be the Knicks.

To which Prokhorov responded today with this statement:

“I don't think we want to be like the Knicks. I think we'd more like to resemble the Lakers.”

Ouch!

Clearly the marketing departments and management of both teams are battling each other for the hearts and minds of local basketball fans. On the court, however, there isn't much of a rivalry -- at least not according to Nets coach Avery Johnson.

"We’re just trying to make sure we get back on defense tonight, score the ball on offense,'' said Johnson, whose team will meet the Knicks for the first time this season tonight at Madison Square Garden. "For us ... the Knicks, even though people say it’s a rivalry, right now the focus for our team is one day being a world champion. It’s not a regional focus, for us. It may be for other people, but for us, it’s how to get better, so that one day we can be one of the better teams in the NBA. And that’s what our focus is on.''

Point guard Devin Harris, the longest-tenured Nets player, admitted that among the players, Nets versus Knicks is all about "bragging rights.''

"With us moving over there (to Brooklyn), it’s going to start to become more of a big deal, probably not so much now, but the next couple years will be,'' Harris said. "But we’re always looking at the end of the year to see who won that matchup – just because we’re so close in proximity. You want to out-duel the other.''

Harris didn't want to deal with answering questions about the teams' billboard war.

"We ran some ads, they ran some ads, it’s an ad-fest,'' he said.

Johnson was asked what it means when a team's owner jumps into the fray like Prokhorov has shown a willingness to do.

"I’ve seen it before,'' the coach deadpanned, cracking up the media surrounding him at shootaround. He did coach the Dallas Mavericks, who are owned by Mark Cuban.

"Mikhail has a lot of confidence in what we’re doing,'' Johnson said. "We’re early in our program and our goals are high. ... Our standards are really high, and whatever happens tonight, it’s not going to destroy our program. And if we win the game, it’s not an NBA championship tonight. We’re trying to get better, we’re trying to improve our team, and more than anything, we’re trying to win a couple of games back-to-back. Not just one, we’re trying to string together some good performances, and that’s what tonight is all about.''